Behind The Dhaka Massacres

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Daud Haider on Bangladesh

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Bangladesh in recent years has seen an increase in its defence purchases, which has given rise to a question? Does it really need to spend so-much on its defence-programmes, while much of the population are subject to hunger and malnutrition.

Early in 2002, I came across some lucid and shady figures operating out of Dhaka, and the Russian region of Chelyabinsk. Bappy (Parvez Islam) was not just admirable, but so convincing, that he managed to convince me to look into this rather lucrative industry.

My job was to operate in the United Kingdom on their behalf, sourcing products or services as per request from Bappy's mentor C.F. Hyder, who I never managed to meet; although I went through many tribulations to catch a glimpse. My first line of communication was 'Bappy', who convinced me with his long list of credentials in this trade. Bappy was on a Russian government scholarship, studying aeronautical engineering at SUSU (South Ural State University).

Eventually I realized that, working with shady organizations required certain manipulative skills, which I did not have or was unwilling to acquire. However, I came across some facts and documents which led to me believe that, certain individuals were becoming wealthy overnight through their contacts in the Bangladesh armed forces.

Speaking to C.F. Hyder for many hours via telephone, I was given first-hand knowledge about operating in this industry. The first rule was to keep a low-tone, and secondly to reap benefits without asking questions. Mr. Hyder handed me a long list of requirements by the Bangladesh Navy, who were on a purchasing spree during that period. I contacted several-organizations, although the deal never materialized.What I did realize, was that, many individuals like these were using different sources in the Bangladeshi defence industry to manipulate their desires.

My question is, will the Bangladeshi authorities intent on uprooting corruption from the land, look through this shady issue? Very unlikely, because the people now trying to root out corruption from a country full of shady figures, were at some-point involved in such shady deals! It is worthy of note that, defence spending in Bangladesh is much more than US$500 million each year, and much of that spending is wasted on commissions.